Daniel Barnaby

I was born in Sydney and lived here with my family until 2001 when we moved to the Central Coast. We moved to Germany for two years in 2001-2003 for Dad’s work, and that got me interested in working and studying there in the future. I finished my HSC at Gosford High School in 2011, then went on to do a Bachelor of Medical Science at UTS while working full time at Gosford Hospital in the pathology lab. I used to commute to UTS, but I now live on-campus in UTS Housing.

I wanted to study this degree because I was looking for something more challenging after working in pathology for several years. I decided to explore post-graduate options and the UTS Pharmacy degree stood out for me. I was attracted to the international placement opportunity as well as the diversity surrounding the clinical placement programme, which did not appear to be matched by any other Pharmacy degree in Australia.

I chose to study at UTS because of its excellent facilities as well as its convenient location near Central Station when I used to commute from the Central Coast. The Master of Pharmacy was also a standout course that encouraged me to move to the city and continue studying. I heard about GSH through university advertising around student centres and attended an information session to hear about their degrees at the end of 2015.

This course is a challenge, something I thrive on. There is terrific support from academics and tutors and you find yourself learning substantial amounts of information without feeling overwhelmed. Being able to then apply that in a variety of community and hospital pharmacy settings - both urban and rural as well as in an international pharmaceutical company - is extremely gratifying.

This course has changed my perception of healthcare in Australia, and how pharmacists can play a role in reaching health outcomes. The course has a strong emphasis on “soft skills”, and I have certainly developed my communication skills, both written and verbal, as well as my time management skills. Being open to new ideas and recognising the variety of unique ways to tackle a problem has been a major part of my development throughout this degree.      

The assessments have a strong focus on group work and are very collaborative. There is a lot of flexibility, creativity and innovation surrounding the assessment, like being able to design our own experiments and implement services in community pharmacies. It is a lot of work and can be stressful at times, however the assessments are practical and relevant to potential roles we may have in the future.  

The academic staff delivering the Master of Pharmacy are really supportive and approachable. All staff are willing to meet with you one-to-one, answer emails or have discussions in class and discuss any concerns, questions or difficulties.

So far, I have worked at a community pharmacy for over a year and a half and been on rural placements during the Country Music Festival in Tamworth where I worked at Tamworth Hospital and a community pharmacy. I am about to leave for Germany, where I will undertake a year internship with Bayer in the Global Marketing Thrombosis team in Berlin.

I hope to work in both European and Australian pharmaceutical settings, applying what I have learnt here at UTS to these contexts. I hope to be challenged, always doing and learning something new. I’m also considering the possibility of a PhD in the near future.  

My advice for future students: get a part-time position in a pharmacy - either community or hospital - to complement the degree. It will really help in applying what you learn on a regular basis. Don’t leave your assignments to the last minute and be nice to your group members - you’ll quickly learn how to work well in a group.